Till There Was You
by shadowkunoichi47
Summary: Kid!Merthur twoshot for lilybells and yasminty. : Growing up, Merlin always saw himself as a burden to the world because of the terrible condition he was born with. But once he met a boy named Arthur, he finally knew just what it felt like to be loved.
1. Chapter 1

**Till There Was You**

_**Chapter 1**_

**Characters~ **Arthur & Merlin

**Warnings~ **chibi!Arthur and Merlin, fluff, hiccups, birds, autumn, schoolyard bullying, terminal illness, some Parked!themes...

**Disclaimer~ **I don't own Merlin in any way, shape, or form—Arthur does. ^w^

**Music on My Mind~ **Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol (don't own)

**Notes from the KIT-chan~**

Kid!Merthur twoshot for **yasminty **and **lilybells**. Enjoy~ ^^

.::.~*Kit Shadow~*.::.

~o~

It all started one morning when Arthur walked into school for his first day back from summer vacation.

He'd looked around to see all of the other children playing with their own toys in various parts of the room and his friends were gathered up at a single corner, waiting for him to come sit at their table with bright, eager expressions on their faces. At this, the young blonde's face lit up at just the slightest.

It was as if nothing had changed since the last time they'd been together that one day in June when their teacher had wished them all a splendid farewell for what _had_ been the incoming three-month break. Arthur flashed a big smile to his friends before giving his teacher a respectful nod, approaching their table with a smug countenance.

"Arthur," Leon chuckled, patting his friend good-naturedly on the back before turning to aim a brief gesture towards Gwaine to make room for the blonde.

The young Pendragon let out a long sigh, sitting down beside the latter and staring across the room to watch his half-sister Morgana laughing with Gwen at a different table. In a split second, the green-eyed brunette turned and shot him an annoyed look, at which Arthur rolled his eyes sarcastically, diverting his attention towards another part of the vast classroom.

It wasn't long, though, before his gaze finally stilled at an oddly vacant corner, where he saw a raven-haired little boy about his age sitting all by himself. Compared to his other classmates, he seemed a lot smaller than average. He was very frail, and his complexion was as light and soft as the sleek ivory keys of a piano. At the same time, the boy wore a melancholic, pretentious expression on his face and held close to his chest what seemed to be a white baby dragon plush in his arms.

At this, the blonde's eyes softened, curious thoughts running through his open mind, more so because this was the first time he'd ever seen him here before.

After a while, the raven looked up from his isolated spot, staring timidly at him with bright cerulean irises, and Arthur quickly looked away, his countenance uneasy but contemplative.

_Who was this boy?_

By the time the Pendragon had finally fallen out of his stupor, the lunch bell already rang, and everyone got up from their seats to go outside for recess.

~o~

Even when he was out on the playground, he still couldn't stop looking at the raven from afar.

"Arthur," Gwaine spoke, prodding him on the shoulder. "Oi—you in there?"

But the blonde paid no attention, and even when Percival was about to throw him the ball from first base, he was still unfazed by his surroundings.

"Heads up!" he'd called, hastily tossing the dodgeball over to Arthur.

In that instant, the Pendragon snapped back to reality, but before he could even reach for the ball, it had already whizzed past his head and bounced over in the direction of the trees.

Instinctively, he rushed to sprint after it, stopping only when the rubber red sphere rolled into a pair of dilapidated brown leather shoes. At that moment, Arthur froze where he was, inhaling sharply when he glanced up to meet two big pools of shimmering sapphire.

The blonde's face grew rigid as he took a few steps back from the raven, whose eyes were just about as wide as his were that point. His expression was shy, alabaster cheeks flushing light pink as Arthur carefully picked the ball up in his hands.

"Er..." he murmured hesitantly, glancing down at the latter's shoes. "Sorry about that," he exhaled, waiting apprehensively for the boy's response.

But all he'd heard was utter silence, and the young Pendragon immediately looked up to see the raven's gaze fixed curiously on the rubber dodgeball he'd quickly tucked under his left arm. At that, Arthur stared thoughtfully at the scarlet orb before holding it back out in his hands towards the other child.

"Hey..." he began quietly, glancing once into the raven's eyes. "...do you want to play with—"

"ARTHUR!"

In that instant, the blonde whirled around to see all of his friends waving to him from afar.

"Give us the ball!" Elyan called, cupping his hands around his mouth.

"We've only got a few minutes left!" Percival added.

Arthur hesitated slightly, looking down at the dodgeball in his hands. "I'll be there in a sec!" he shouted back, glancing over his shoulder to continue talking to the raven-haired boy.

But the very minute he'd turned around, the latter was nowhere to be seen. He stood there puzzled for a moment, scanning the bushes around him before reluctantly returning to where the rest of the boys were waiting for him.

As soon as the blonde had turned his back, however, the raven silently emerged from one of the farther trees and timorously watched them all play together in the middle of the field, half-hiding his semblance with his little dragon plush.

~Twelve minutes later~

_RING._

"Give it back, Cenred!" Leon cried, persistently jumping up to try and grab the ball from the taller boy's hand, which was extended high up in the air so that it was out of the other children's reach.

Not even Percival, the biggest in Arthur's group, could knock the rubber sphere out of the bully's grasp. It wasn't until a second later that the blonde himself leaped onto Cenred's back, only to be tackled down onto the floor and punched in the stomach by another boy that was much older than he was.

Before long, the teacher had called them all back in, and Cenred laughed haughtily, pegging the dodgeball into Arthur's face as he walked back into the school with the rest of his enormous gang.

At that moment, the young Pendragon groaned, struggling to get up when he was suddenly assisted by a concerned Guinevere.

~o~

"You should tell someone," Gwen offered, pressing a damp, lukewarm rag against the blonde's swollen cheek as the other children packed up to go home. "It's not fair that you have to deal with him almost every day."

Arthur let out a long sigh, turning his face away from her. "I know," he muttered, half-heartedly zipping his backpack shut.

Gwen exhaled slowly, accompanying him as they walked out onto the front steps of the building. And again, the young Pendragon's eyes fell still on the raven-haired boy as he lingered alone on the swingset nearby with that same morose, longing expression on his face.

"...who's that?" Arthur murmured idly, the words just barely audible above a hushed whisper.

Not long after, chocolate brown irises had followed in the same direction. Then Gwen paused for a moment before letting out a slow sigh, stepping forward so that she was standing right beside the blonde.

"Oh...that's Merlin," she replied softly, her gaze softening on the raven. "He lives across the street from my house. I see him all the time whenever I get the chance to go outside with Dad."

Arthur nodded once in understanding and pondered for a minute, watching contemplatively as the other boy embraced the tiny dragon against his chest.

Gwen looked at the blonde, glancing back over at the raven with an uneasy countenance. "...he's really quiet though," she added thoughtfully, "Always afraid of being around other people. I've talked to him a couple of times, but he usually didn't say much. Awfully shy, that one. That's why you see him by himself so often—poor thing."

The blonde's eyes grew pensive, fixed on the latter as he carefully got up from the swing to walk towards the back gate. In that instant, Arthur exhaled slowly, loosening his grip on his backpack strap at the slightest.

Gwen cleared her throat, turning to step over in the direction of the front gate. "It's getting a bit late...you coming, Arthur?"

At that moment, the young Pendragon's eyes were soft on the small raven. "No—it's alright," he replied in a hushed, detached voice. Then he looked up and stared warmly into his friend's eyes. "I think I'm going to stay here for a little while. You can go ahead without me, Guinevere."

In response, the latter lingered for a bit before giving the blonde a meaningful nod, shifting her gaze towards Merlin as he made his way past the small fence. After a short while, she let out a sigh and smiled, tentatively moving her feet in the opposite path with her back facing Arthur.

"Be careful not to startle him if you're going to try something," she called over her shoulder.

In that instant, the blonde stiffened, turning to look at Gwen with a puzzled expression on his face. "Er..._excuse me?_"

Guinevere laughed lightly, stepping out past the front gate. "Nothing, nothing...oh, see you tomorrow."

Arthur frowned. For a moment, he stood perplexed on the pavement, gazing after his friend before she finally disappeared around the corner. Then he slowly shook his head, turning to glance over to see that the young raven had already gone as well.

With that, the blonde sighed, immediately rushing off in Merlin's direction.

~o~

But by the time Arthur had reached the back gate, the other boy was nowhere to be found. He tentatively stepped out on the narrow trail, turning his head in both directions to search for the latter that instant.

That was when he saw the little raven a bit farther along on the other side of the path, bent over and arm outstretched as if he was reaching for something in front of him.

At that moment, the blonde considered the curious sight very carefully in front of him, slowly approaching Merlin as he made small, frustrated noises of great effort.

But as he got a closer view of the boy, his face gradually grew stiff when he saw that the raven was perched unsteadily at the edge of a big, grassy slope—desperately reaching for a cluster of forget-me-nots that were growing about a foot away from where he was standing.

In that instant, Arthur's breath stilled. Any movement at the slightest, and he could fall—perhaps even roll down towards the woods down at the very bottom.

Immediately, the blonde ran towards him. "Hey!" he cried apprehensively.

But his call fell on deaf ears, and Merlin's eyes still remained fixed on the flowers, not long before he'd shifted closer and finally lost his footing. The raven let out a startled cry, his eyes widening tenfold as a blur of the bright green grass rushed out from beneath him.

Just as he started to brace himself, he felt something warm wrap around his stomach, holding him in place and suspending him mid-air as if the world had suddenly grown still.

And before there was a sigh of relief, a low murmur coming from over his shoulder. "Careful there."

A boy's voice.

At that moment, Merlin's mind snapped back to reality, and he quickly turned to see a blonde-haired child about his age smiling at him with ocean blue eyes that shimmered under the dim evening light. For a second, the raven held his breath, timidly glancing down to see _his _arm folded carefully around his middle. Then he snapped his eyes shut, letting out a small exhale.

Arthur chuckled softly, gradually moving back to lead him safely away from the slope.

The raven cringed, swiftly slipping out of the other's steadfast but strangely gentle grip.

In response, the Pendragon winced a little, staring concernedly at the shaken expression on the other's face. "Are you all right?" he asked in a slow, quiet tone. "You almost fell off—"

In that instant, Merlin looked up and found himself facing the blonde with timorous eyes. Then he glanced down at Aithusa, tucked neatly under the latter's left arm—just as that dodgeball had been earlier on the playground...

Suddenly, his train of thought broke once more when the blonde started speaking again in a calm voice, and the raven raised his gaze to see him handing the dragon plushie to him.

"You dropped this," the boy muttered, looking at him with warm sapphire irises.

Merlin swallowed hard. He stared straight into the latter's eyes, not sure what to do or say, because he wasn't normally used to anyone other than Gwen or his mum talking to him like this—or better yet, even _at all._ But after a few seconds, he managed to take Aithusa from the blonde, hugging the soft toy close to his chest, and flushed shyly, staring down at his own two feet.

"Aithusa..." he whispered diffidently. "Th-thank you."

In response, Arthur held his breath upon finally hearing the wonderful sound of the latter's voice, like wind chimes jingling faintly in a mild spring breeze. His eyes softened at that point before he bashfully stuffed his hands into his pockets. But that was when he remembered that one was still holding something and tentatively extended his other palm to reveal a small, delicate flower identical to the ones that the raven had been trying desperately to obtain.

Merlin's eyes widened and he looked amazedly at the Pendragon's bright facade.

"Er...there were a few of them growing by the bushes near the back gate," he murmured in a slightly sheepish tone.

The raven blinked slowly, reaching his arm out to take the blue forget-me-not from his faintly tanned hand. He gazed down at it with a warm expression, holding it gingerly in his hand.

Arthur watched in silence as the other boy's face gradually lit up with genuine delight.

"Pretty..." Merlin mumbled, smiling to himself as he placed the flower inside Aithusa's front pouch. Then he lowered his eyes, cheeks coloured light pink. "...what's your name?" he asked in a shy, hesitant voice.

At this, the blonde reared his head back, gazing up at the evening sky above. "Arthur," he replied, eyes scintillating as he turned to meet the latter's gaze. "And you're..."

"_Merlin!" _a female voice called from not far away.

In that instant, the raven instinctively looked back, and Arthur followed his stare to see a petite brown-haired woman waiting patiently at the other end of the path...supposedly none other than the boy's mother herself.

Merlin grinned back at the brunette, then glanced over his shoulder to gaze longingly into his new friend's ocean blue eyes.

But Arthur only nodded once and gave a reassuring smile. "See you to-morrow, then," he spoke in an amiable tone.

At this, the raven flushed slightly, his lips slowly curling into a small grin in return. "S-see you," he chuckled in reply.

The blonde's face lit up with warmth.

For a moment, Merlin still lingered, not being able to take his eyes off his newly found friend, but after he'd heard his mother call his name again, he immediately whirled around to totter over in her direction.

The young Pendragon let out a small sigh, watching after the small raven as he happily rushed into the petite woman's arms, and then turned to make his own way back home as well. But the second he'd turned around to walk in the opposite path, Arthur abruptly froze dead in his tracks and mentally scolded himself when he realised in an instant that 'to-morrow' was a Saturday, which meant there was _no school._

At that, the blonde let out a sharp exhale, briefly glancing back to see Merlin and his mother leave.

He _was_ right in what he'd said, though: this would not be the last time that the two children would see each other again. The only thing was that neither of them had any clue that their next encounter would be very soon.

~o~

On Sunday morning Ygraine had decided to take Arthur with him to the supermarket, leaving Morgana at home with Gaius, their manservant and personal physician after quite some effort of persuasion on her part.

~xXx~

"_Mummy, why does Arthur get to go? Arthur doesn't like shopping with you as much as I do..." _the three-year-old brunette had whined.

In response, Mrs. Pendragon had taken little Morgana in her arms and brushed her long, dark brown hair behind her ears.

"_I'm sorry, love, but Mummy needs your brother to help me carry a bit of heavy stuff at the store...unless you think you can do a better job?"_

The young brunette giggled, nuzzling her face into her mother's shoulder. _"Of course I can," _she laughed, shooting a look at her older brother who'd been sitting the whole time in the car with the window open. _"But maybe next time—Big Brother sure looks like he wants to carry EVERYTHING today," _she finished with a mischievous smirk.

At that, Arthur had rolled his eyes at his younger sibling before turning to look in the opposite direction.

~xXx~

Presently, mother and son were exploring the produce section for special sales that the store had on for the day, with Ygraine directing Arthur to keep track of their cart.

It wasn't until the young blonde started begging her to purchase strawberries that they had suddenly heard a loud cry not far away, and Arthur immediately looked up to see none other than Merlin's mother waving to them from the cereal aisle.

What surprised him even more, however, was how his own mother had started waving back with the same vigour, almost flailing as if she'd already been familiar with the brown-haired petite woman.

"Hunith!" Ygraine cried, quickly approaching the latter to give her a warm embrace. "What a surprise to see you here!"

Merlin's mother laughed, returning her best friend's welcoming gesture. "Ygraine! How long has it been?"

At that moment, Arthur chuckled to himself as he watched the two mothers chat with delight, then eagerly shifted his gaze in the next instant to see if perhaps the young raven was anywhere nearby.

Before long, he'd spotted Merlin standing in the fish section, watching the freshly caught lobsters stirring about in their own tank. The small Pendragon walked towards his friend, carefully placing a hand on his shoulder. "Hi," he spoke in a hushed whisper.

In response, Merlin raised his head, slowly turning around to meet the blonde's scintillating cerulean eyes. Almost immediately, his expression softened and a wide smile was spread across his bright face.

"Hi," he replied, glancing back at the large crustaceans he'd just been observing.

Upon noticing this brief motion, Arthur gazed over the younger boy's shoulder, then shifted forward until he was standing next to him—his nose almost leaning against the cold glass.

For a moment, it was silent between the two children, with the exception of their mothers' laughter that could be heard in the background.

After a short while, the blonde sighed, peering dully into the depths of the tank. "They're not doing anything," he groaned, frowning disappointedly at the motionless clumps of lobsters.

Merlin looked at him, then back at the crustaceans. "They were scuttling before...maybe it's just you."

Arthur opened his mouth to say something but then closed it and gradually turned to see the raven grinning ear-to-ear. At this, the blonde narrowed his eyes playfully and slowly shook his head, his lips curling into a mischievous smirk.

"Is that so? Watch this," he chuckled in reply, facing the moist glass with a smug countenance.

In that instant, Merlin turned to look at his friend, just in time to see him stick his tongue out at the lobsters and make the silliest face he'd probably ever seen at that point.

Pretty soon, the largest lobster crawled out from under the group and approached the tank to meet the blonde's teasing gaze with its own black, beady little eyes.

At this, Merlin laughed, pulling a funny face of his own beside the young Pendragon to get another great crustacean to stand its ground beside its bigger king. In the next few minutes, the two boys stood there having a blast with each other until their mothers had finally come to pull them apart and say farewell.

Ygraine smiled, taking Arthur by the hand before turning to leave for the cash register. "It was nice to meet you again, love—take care!" she called to her best friend over her shoulder.

"You, too, dear! See you Monday afternoon!" Hunith replied, placing her own giggling son up into her arms and placing him into his seat on the grocery cart.

~o~

When they were in the car, Arthur couldn't help but notice how happy his mother still looked at that point. After a moment, he'd finally brought himself to start some conversation.

"Mummy," the young blonde began in a curious tone, "how do you know Merlin's mum?"

At this, Mrs. Pendragon looked at her son with bright eyes. "Oh, sweetheart...Merlin's mummy and I used to go to the same school."

Arthur pondered contemplatively upon her response, then went on with another question. "...were you best friends?"

Her response was a brief nod before she shifted her gaze back to the road: "The very best," she replied.

Before long, they were in back in the garage of their home, and Ygraine reached over to kill the engine.

"So what did Mrs. Emrys mean by 'Monday afternoon'?" the little blonde asked.

In that instant, Ygraine paused to think for a moment before taking the keys from the ignition. Then she unlocked the doors and spoke in a cordial voice. "Merlin's mother has gotten a new job someplace else." She turned to look at her son. "She'll be working at a much later schedule now than she usually does, so she'll no longer be able to pick Merlin up from school on time."

Mrs. Pendragon pursed her lips, then turned to grab the groceries in the back seat and went on. "Starting this week, he'll be staying with us every afternoon until his mum can get off from work to bring him home."

She handed Arthur a few bags, then opened her door. "I told Mrs. Emrys earlier that usually you walk home from school since—well, it's only about a few blocks away."

The young blonde nodded once and lifted his own door handle: "Alright, then..." he replied.

As soon as he stepped out, Ygraine let out a sigh and took out her keys again to lock the car. "So..." she began in a prudent tone, "can I trust you to take Merlin along and make sure that he gets here in one piece?"

At that, Arthur stood still for a long moment before smiling to himself at the thought of the raven keeping him company on the afternoons and playing with him upstairs in his room.

"Won't be a problem, Mum," the young blonde answered in content.

~o~

The next morning, first thing after walking into school, the two finally gave each other some mutual acknowledgement—the closest with Merlin watching Arthur play with his other friends while the young Pendragon himself watched the raven off by himself. But as the day went on, Arthur eventually brought himself to approach Merlin from the other end of the playground, only to find the latter with a sad expression on his face.

"What's wrong?" the blonde asked, crouching down to meet the raven's melancholic eyes.

Merlin lowered his gaze, then slowly held his hands out to reveal a tiny bird lying in his palms.

In that instant, Arthur's face grew solemn as he observed the poor thing on its side, its left wing bent in an awkward position.

The raven's eyes softened as he looked up at his friend. "I think it's broken," he spoke in a soft voice.

At that, the blonde frowned, reaching to examine the hurt creature's injury. But before he could even lift a finger, Merlin immediately pulled his hands away in a protective manner. "Don't touch it," he spoke warily, his gaze anxious on the other boy. "You might hurt it even more."

Arthur winced in response, as if hurt at the slightest by the raven's words. But he kept his expression composed and let out a small sigh, carefully getting up on his feet. "We could take it to Miss Freya if you want," he began in a calm, even tone, extending a hand out to the latter. "She can probably help. She's good with animals."

At first, Merlin said no words in reply. After a few seconds though, he finally brought himself to take Arthur's hand and followed him back inside the classroom.

~o~

As Freya was wrapping the bird's wing neatly in a tiny cloth, the young Pendragon couldn't help but notice the troubled look on his friend's face. His eyes were intent on the little creature, and his arms were clutched tight around his baby dragon plush. It wasn't until a few more moments' past that Arthur lifted his right hand to wrap it reassuringly around Merlin's wrist.

And in that instant, the raven flinched, turning to meet shimmering cerulean irises. Freya let out a light chuckle, glancing up from her small patient to smile at the two children.

"Arthur's right, Merlin," she laughed, tying the last knot on the bird's mini-sling. She stood up, carefully placing the small animal in the raven's palms. "Don't worry so much over this. It really isn't hurt that badly. Before you know it, it'll be flying again up in the sky with its fellow friends."

At that, Merlin gazed timidly back at his teacher, then grinned back at the young Pendragon.

~o~

After school, the boys spent their first afternoon walking back together, passing through the local park on the way home.

Merlin looked around curiously at the surrounding trees, then looked at his blonde friend. "Mum usually takes me out here for a little bit to watch the ducks over by the pond."

Arthur kicked a pebble at his feet, raising his head to meet the raven's eyes. "Really? I didn't even know there _was_ a pond around here," he replied, looking at him with a confused expression.

In that instant, Merlin laughed, turning to walk down another path hidden in the bushes. "Is that so? Come on, I'll show you."

The blonde nodded once, following after the younger boy.

~o~

Later on that evening, Arthur and Merlin sat next to each other at the edge of the small pond among the trees, the raven pointing out the little yellow ducklings as they swam single-file behind their mother. And Arthur couldn't help but smile not just at the sight of the insanely adorable things but also of how animated his friend seemed at the same time even with the injured bird sitting on his knees. Speaking of which, in a few more moments another bird had, out of nowhere, swept down into Merlin's lap and snuggled right beside its injured friend.

In response, Merlin immediately looked down with a startled expression on his face, and Arthur laughed.

"Don't worry, she'll be better soon," he murmured encouragingly, eyes softening on the two tiny creatures.

At this, a wide grin spread on the raven's face, and Merlin looked up to meet Arthur's warm, intent gaze.

~o~

As months passed, the two had become fast friends who'd always be together through thick and thin. In short, Arthur no longer did a single thing anymore without Merlin at his side, and they would often be referred to by other people as 'two sides of the same coin.'

One night, Hunith even agreed to let her son spend the night over at the blonde's when she'd had to work overtime, and both boys had been exceedingly happy to hear her good news.

Initially, Ygraine was all set to let Merlin stay in the guest room that Arthur's father often used for visitors from work, but that night, Arthur agreed to let Merlin share his bed.

And so the two of them spent the night looking after the baby bird, which they'd now kept in a makeshift cage they'd previously made by Arthur's window. But after a while, when it was almost 9 o'clock, Merlin let out a small yawn and went to lie down next to his best friend. The young Pendragon sighed with a smile, then sat up to pull the covers over both of them.

For a moment, the room was peacefully silent...until suddenly there was a hiccup across from where Arthur lay. At this, the blonde raised his head and chuckled, glancing over at the younger boy.

"Really now, Merlin?"

The raven hiccupped once more, then covered his face under the sheets.

Arthur only laughed, instantly reaching for the bedside table to grab the glass of water Gaius had put out for either of them to drink, and quickly gave it to Merlin, who took it gratefully.

He exhaled slowly after swallowing the entire thing, then handed the empty glass back to his best friend.

The young Pendragon smiled, returning it on the top of the bedside table.

"There—"

_HICCUP._

In that instant, the blonde groaned, placing a hand over his forehead.

Merlin chuckled softly: "Sorry—can't help it."

Arthur slowly shook his head and sighed.

_Alright,_ he thought to himself, _what if he made him hold his own breath?_

But when he turned around, he saw the raven already trying the method...

_HICCUP._

...and failing. At this, the blonde rolled his eyes.

_Fair enough_, he thought dejectedly. Arthur looked around, at a loss for other ideas, but then something soon sparked in his mind and he turned to look at Merlin with a careful gaze.

"Hold still for a second," the blonde murmured, shifting closer beside the young raven, "I want to try something."

In response, Merlin remained still just as the latter said but then only stared at him with confused eyes. "Arthur...?"

The young Pendragon took a deep breath then closed his eyes, moving forward until his lips were pressed firmly against the raven's.

At this, Merlin sighed, his eyes soft on the blonde before they slowly fell shut as well. After a few seconds, Arthur backed away and opened his eyes to find his best friend's cheeks flushed a light pink. "Er..." the raven could all but utter.

In the same instant, Arthur almost found himself blushing, too, but immediately he shook the feeling off and spoke again in an even tone. "Well, did it work?"

Merlin sat still for a moment and looked straight ahead as if waiting for his hiccups to come, but they don't, and his face lights up with astonishment. "Hey...they're gone," he whispered, gazing intently at the blonde.

In response, Arthur smirked, satisfied with himself, then lied back down on his side of the bed. "Alright, then, _now _we can all finally get some sleep."

The raven all but nodded in agreement and settling himself with "Aithusa" (his treasured dragon plush toy) in his arms. Arthur let out a long, suffering sigh and yanked the covers over his shoulder.

For a moment, it was silent in the room once more.

Until suddenly..._Arthur_ was the one who—

_HICCUP._

Merlin giggled, glancing back at the blonde, who'd covered his face with his pillow.

"_Prat."_

~o~

The next day, Arthur decided to play with his other friends again in their usual game of kickball—and this time around, he even tried to get Merlin to play with them, too, but the latter preferred to just watch them from the sidelines.

It wasn't until the end of lunch, however, that Cenred and his gang had come about to make another scene in picking on the little "Knights of the Round Table."

"Cenred!" Arthur shouted.

_Thump._

"Arthur!" Gwen cried from afar, watching in horror as the bully approached the young Pendragon, who was now lying defencelessly on the blacktop.

But suddenly, Arthur found another shadow hovering over him that instant and immediately looked up to see none other than Merlin standing in front of him, arms outstretched protectively and eyes fierce against the older brute.

~o~

**Notes from the KIT-chan~**

_Reviews please? ^w^_

Hope you're all enjoying this so far! Other half'll be up in a bit~ :D

Be warned of some rather _significant_ plot twists in the next chapter, though...reminder that this _was _a medium to get rid of some of my pent-up feelings... ^^";

(*Note: if **merthurdreamer **somehow comes across this at any point...you have not been forgotten! I'm still working on that sequel as we speak...it's just taking me a really long time! XD)

.::.*~Kit Shadow~*.::.


	2. Chapter 2

**Till There Was You**

_**Chapter 2**_

**Characters~ **Arthur & Merlin

**Warnings~ **chibi!Arthur and Merlin, fluff, hiccups, birds, autumn, schoolyard bullying, terminal illness, some Parked!themes...

**Disclaimer~ **I don't own Merlin in any way, shape, or form—Arthur does. ^w^

**Music on My Mind~ **Out of My Heart (Into Your Head) by BBMak (don't own)

**Notes from the KIT-chan~**

Kid!Merthur twoshot for **yasminty **and **lilybells**. Enjoy~ ^^

.::.~*Kit Shadow~*.::.

~o~

At that moment, the whole playground, including Cenred himself, stood still, watching the raven with amazed, incredulous expressions on their faces.

The next minute, Cenred was laughing raucously. "Are you kidding me, Pendragon?" he gibed, elbowing one of his goons in the stomach. "_This_ runtfor a bodyguard? You've got absolutely no chance."

Arthur gazed disbelievingly at the raven, then back at the tall brunette. Merlin only stood his ground and slowly shook his head at Cenred, as if in a threatening sort of manner.

In that instant, a fuse had set off in the bully's mind, and soon Cenred started forward with the intention of grabbing the younger boy where he stood—if not for his friends, who'd rushed forth to hold him back when the teacher came outside to call the students back in.

With that, Cenred was forced to reluctantly back off, glaring at Merlin and then at Arthur.

"This isn't over, Pendragon," he growled, immediately narrowing his eyes at the raven. "And you, Emrys—you better watch your back there. Just because of your 'special treatment' doesn't mean I can't break you like a twig any time I want," he spat out acerbically.

But Merlin only stuck his tongue out at the brunette, who'd hissed back before letting his friends take him back inside the school. When all was well, the raven turned around and smiled at his best friend, helping a dazed Arthur back up on his feet.

"Merlin—" the blonde began to utter.

But before he could say anything more, the raven had already left.

~o~

That afternoon, the young Pendragon followed Merlin back to their usual spot by the pond and quietly sat down beside the younger boy to watch the little ducklings climb out over on the side, flapping their wings.

The raven lowered his gaze for a moment, then looked back at the small birds. "...I always wonder why birds choose to stay in the same place when they can fly anywhere on the earth," he spoke in a hushed whisper, leaning forward against his curled up knees. "Then I ask myself the same question."

Arthur glanced at his friend, then turned to lightly toss a pebble into the dark water. The next few minutes consisted of nothing but dead silence between them as they continued to observe the family of ducks from afar.

Then finally, the blonde brought himself to speak again in a soft tone. "Merlin...why did you do that?" he asked, looking at the ground. "Why did you...stand up for me like that? You know perfectly that Cenred could have easily hurt you, too."

There was a long pause.

Merlin let out a small sigh and uncurled his knees, not looking at Arthur even once. "Because you're my friend," he replied in a clear, even tone. "And friends always look out for each other."

The Pendragon took a deep breath, tossing another pebble into the pond's depths. "Isn't that what they usually say for _brothers_?" he replied.

Suddenly, the raven grew quiet.

Arthur shot a quick look at him, then back at the pond. "I mean...not that I couldn't already think of you as a brother, Merlin. It feels like we've been together for an awfully long time now, doesn't it?"

Merlin said nothing.

"...Merlin?"

No response.

At that, the blonde shifted closer next to the raven, staring at him with concerned eyes. "Merlin."

Silence.

"Have you ever seen a leaf...fall from its branch?"

In that instant, Arthur looked up to see his best friend, staring up at the trees surrounding them.

"...it's a beautiful thing," the raven murmured in a soft voice.

Arthur listened wordlessly, not knowing what to say in response.

But Merlin let out a weak chuckle, then hung his head, continuing in an even quieter tone.

"I actually did have a brother once, you know," he began, fighting to hold back tears that were forming under his eyes. He swallowed hard and looked up at the stars. "When we lived in our old house, he used to bring me outside just after the sun went down so that he could show me all the buildings at night when each and every one of their windows would light up a different colour."

The raven shifted his gaze down at the sky's reflection in the pond and sniffled. "S'like a city of fireworks that have exploded all at once," he chuckled, imitating the sound of a grand explosion.

Arthur's eyes instantly softened on the latter. "Merlin..."

At that point, Merlin was sniffling and slowly shaking his head, but he quickly rubbed a hand over his face to wipe his tears. "But that was before...he ran away, though," he spoke in a shakily. Then he closed his eyes and stifled a sob. "Before when he was...still _alive_..."

Immediately, Arthur reached over to take the raven into his arms, comforting him.

Hot tears rolled down the raven's cheeks, and finally he gave in to weeping. "_Cathal..._"

The blonde rubbed his back, holding him close to his chest. "Shh...it's okay."

Merlin sniffled, dropping Aithusa and wrapping his arms tightly around his best friend.

Arthur took a deep breath, resting his chin on the latter's head with a solemn expression on his face.

~o~

From that point on, the word _brother _was never mentioned between them ever again.

The next evening after school, Arthur quietly took Merlin's hand and led him down the usual path back to the Pendragon home.

...or so Merlin _thought._

"Arthur, where are we going?" the raven asked, not recognising the hill that they were soon walking up on.

At this, the blonde only chuckled, glancing back at his best friend. "You'll see," he laughed in reply before turning to continue. "Consider this a shortcut I found recently."

Merlin frowned dubiously, then stopped all of a sudden when he found himself standing in front of a bunch of bushes beside Arthur.

"Arthur," he began, eyeing the blonde curiously. "What is this—"

But the young Pendragon held a hand out to make him quiet. "Shh—for heaven's sake, don't be such a _girl_, Merlin. Just close your eyes."

In that instant, the raven sighed, reluctantly following the blonde's order, and when he did, Arthur smiled to himself as he grabbed his best friend's hand and led him beyond the thick bushes.

~o~

"Alright...open them."

Merlin frowned, standing still beside the Pendragon. "Are you sure?" he replied sceptically.

There was a sharp exhale. "_Merlin._"

The raven grumbled, muttering the word _prat _under his breath. "Alright, fine—" he began but abruptly stopped mid-sentence as soon as he lifted his eyelids, only to find the view of a grand city laid out below him from the top of the hill—numerous skyscrapers and buildings that looked _oddly _familiar to the ones he'd been acquainted with for so long when he was a lot younger...

It was impossible, but...then again...didn't all cities look the same?

"Well—do you like it?" Arthur beamed, standing beside his best friend, amused at the surprised expression on the other's face.

At that point, Merlin was all but speechless. "Arthur...this is—"

The blonde laughed, gazing out at the dazzling cityscape with bright eyes. "I found this place over the weekend when Mum took us out for a picnic. I _thought _you might like the view from this angle," he chuckled. "And it's not far from the park, either, so _technically _it's not far from home."

The raven's eyes softened as he watched his best friend run back towards the bushes.

"Come on, Merlin! You're not going to just stand there, are you? There's a lot more to see!" Arthur called back.

At this, Merlin grinned and couldn't help but follow him in delight.

~o~

For all the raven knew, the place could as well be their new usual spot from now on. The grass was decorated with vibrant flowers, and there was so much wide open space for running—not to mention the taller trees that were abundant enough for them to play tag and hide-and-seek in. Or _both._

Speaking of which...

"Too slow, Merlin!" Arthur called, glancing at the raven over his shoulder.

A confident gleam appeared in Merlin's eyes as he rushed headlong towards the blonde. That instant, it felt _spectacular_ to be defying what his body could and couldn't enable him to do—and running had, all his life, been one thing that his mother had always forbade him from doing just because of his terrible condition.

For right now the young raven was having the time of his life, and there was nothing that would stand between him and enjoying himself with his best friend.

Soon, the blonde jumped out from behind another tree and dashed off again in the opposite direction. "Alright, Merlin! That's it! Your turn to count to ten!"

At that moment, the raven laughed, hiding behind one of the trees and covering his eyes with his hands as he started to count out loud.

"One...two...three...four...five...six..."

He heard a rustle in the distance, which probably could be Arthur jumping into one of the thick bushes. Merlin took a deep breath and continued to count.

"Seven...eight...nine..."

By the time the raven finally reached ten, he opened his eyes immediately, only to find himself standing all alone in the middle of the wood. In that instant, he let out a long sigh, instinctively making his way towards the bushes nearby by when yet another rustle suddenly disturbed the calm, surrounding silence.

"Arthur!" Merlin cried almost triumphantly, approaching the shrub with a big grin on his face. "Arthur! You _dollophead_—I know you're in there—"

_HISS._

But when he reached over to pull one of the bushes back, he didn't see the young blonde. Instead he saw a large black and yellow snake staring at him with an intimidating glare and baring its long fangs dangerously.

Merlin gasped, quickly stepping back from the bush, only to have the serpent-like creature follow him in an instant. He closed his eyes and gulped, frozen where he stood without a clue of what to do...for this animal was very different from any of the harmless little green snakes he'd often played with before in his mother's small garden. If he made any sudden move, it would kill him immediately with its venomous bite, and if he screamed...

But it would be too late.

"ARTH—" the raven started to shout.

"Shh—_Merlin._"

At that moment, Merlin opened his eyes to meet concerned, fearful blue eyes a few feet from where he was standing.

"_Arthur,_" he'd all but managed to utter, tears welling up over his cheeks. "_Arthur, help me._"

Arthur winced and slowly emerged from the trees, holding a finger to his lips. "Shh...Merlin, it's going to be all right. Just do exactly as I tell you, and the snake won't hurt you."

In that instant, the raven anxiously nodded once, flinching the minute he'd heard the foul creature hiss at him another time. He quickly shifted his gaze towards it, his breath abruptly going still.

"_What do I do?_" Merlin whispered frantically to the blonde.

But at that point, Arthur was already tiptoeing towards the snake, holding a large rock firmly in his hand.

"_Hold. Still. And say _nothing._"_

As the young Pendragon raised his arm to smash the creature with his weapon, the raven squeezed his eyes shut and fought hard to hold back a scream.

_THUMP._

~o~

When Merlin opened his eyes, he found himself back at the park, sitting on one of the benches and leaning against Arthur's chest. He instantly raised his head, fearfully searching for the horrifying snake.

But he only saw his best friend, eyes filled with anxiety for him.

"Merlin—are you all right?" the young Pendragon whispered briskly, carefully propping him up on the wooden bench.

Merlin took a deep breath and weakly nodded once. "Yeah," he croaked in a hoarse voice.

At this, Arthur let out a small sigh of relief. But the apprehension on his face was still clear enough for the young raven to see.

Merlin frowned, narrowing his eyes at him. "What's wrong?" he managed to utter.

There was a long pause. "Merlin...you don't look so good."

In that instant, the raven held his breath and instinctively knew what was going on, for it had happened to him countless times when he was younger.

The one thing that he sadly remembered his mother had always warned him about before—why he could never run or climb trees or play football with his friends...

Before long, he could feel his chest tightening up just like before, and he could feel the blonde stiffen beside him. "Merlin—I'm going to get help—"

_Thud._

"Merlin!"

~o~

The last thing the raven remembered was gasping for air, and then everything had faded into a blur.

He could still hear Arthur's voice, though, shouting his name anxiously.

"_Merlin—MERLIN!_"

But when he woke up, the blonde was nowhere in sight. Instead, he found himself in a hospital bed with his mother crying by his side and holding his hand tightly.

Immediately, Merlin's eyes grew wide, and he searched frantically around the room for his best friend...until he'd caught the young Pendragon standing outside in the hallway with the person who used to be his personal physician when he was very young.

_Oh no._

~o~

Gaius had told Arthur everything about his former patient's condition—from how he had suffered the terrible ailment since birth to the rough estimate of how much time the little raven would have left to spend in this world.

Soon after, the blonde had found himself staring painfully at his friend through the window glass.

~o~

"...why didn't you tell me?"

Arthur let out a long sigh, gingerly holding the raven's pale hand in his.

Merlin lowered his gaze and gave the latter's palm a gentle squeeze.

"Because...you were the only person who didn't treat me differently like everybody else and accepted me for who I really was," he replied in a hushed whisper. When he raised his head to look at the young Pendragon again, tears were rolling down his cheeks. "I was afraid...that if I told you everything, you'd stop playing with me like they all did..."

At this point, Merlin was crying, and Arthur had moved forward to wrap his arms warmly around his best friend. The raven sniffled, nuzzling his face into the other's shoulder.

The blonde took a deep breath, gently stroking the middle of his friend's back. "Shh...it's alright," he whispered softly into the latter's hair. "...I'm not 'everybody else'."

~o~

In the succeeding night, however, Arthur was at a loss in how to spend the remaining time with his one and only friend.

Better yet, he didn't even know if he _should _continue to be with the young raven, for it was _his _fault in the first place that Merlin had experienced...

Arthur vigorously shook his head and exhaled sharply.

_Ten days, _Gaius had said before in the emergency room. Ten days and Merlin's heart wouldn't have anything left to give...

The young Pendragon growled in frustration, slamming his fist against the wall behind him.

~o~

After three days, because Gaius had managed to pull a few strings for his former patient's sake, Merlin was allowed to return to his own home.

However, he had been forbidden from returning to school and was instructed to stay in bed—and for some reason Arthur had no longer been around to keep him company, which made him feel very sad inside.

It wasn't until the following morning did he realise why he wasn't getting any word from him anymore and why he didn't have to go back to school...when he'd overheard his mother talking to Arthur's mother early dawn when he had been supposed to be still asleep.

On Monday afternoon, he and his mother were going to move to a place where he would receive special treatment for his condition from doctors his father once had old connections with—but it would be very, very far...away from Camelot and Arthur himself...and Merlin didn't want that.

So in the late evening, when Hunith had gone out for a brief moment to take out the trash, the young raven had, after lots of waiting and careful planning, snuck out the back door of his own house and back to the only other place he knew how to go to: the Pendragon home.

~o~

It took a while for Merlin to find the one path that he and Arthur would usually take when they walked home together from school, but after a few tries, he finally found himself walking past the familiar gray house.

By this time, it was raining hard outside, so the raven quickly rushed up the front steps to ring the doorbell. But just as he was about to press the small button, he suddenly stopped short upon catching a quick glance over at the window nearby.

Its curtains were pushed back all the way, revealing a group of children gathered around a round table, with a large cake with candles sitting at the very centre. And standing from his seat in the middle of the group was none other than the blonde himself with his little sister, prodding him to blow out the candles and to make a wish.

At that moment, Merlin held his breath and froze, gradually retracting his hand away from the door,

For so long he'd been with his best friend, spending so much time together that one would _think _that the world could as well revolve around just the two of them. But in reality, it didn't—and the raven instantly felt a twinge of pain deep inside his heart as he pictured the very idea of him preventing the young Pendragon from having a happy, normal life of his own—one that Merlin knew painfully that he himself would never be able to have due to the condition that he was born with.

And so the raven slowly backed away from the front door, tears welling up over his cheeks as he peered through the frosted glass and as he realised just how much _time _he must have taken away from Arthur to that point—each day he would spend taking care of him instead of playing with his other friends from school or tending to his own sister who had a much better chance at life than he ever would...

Merlin shook his head desolately, turning to walk off in the pouring rain.

~o~

"C'mon, Arthur, make a wish," Morgana offered, poking his older brother on the shoulder.

But Arthur only let out a sigh, thinking how his best friend would have loved to be there at that moment instead of being locked up sick in his room at home. He frowned at the candles, then briefly glanced over at the window to see the raindrops accumulate on the foggy glass.

For a moment, he _thought_ he'd even seen the young raven himself standing outside on the front porch staring at him from afar...but when he looked again after another instant when Gwaine made a show of dipping a finger into his birthday cake, no one was there.

~o~

Merlin sniffled as he clutched his backpack and pulled the blue hood of his sweatshirt over his drenched hair.

At that point, he knew that he would be all alone, and no one would be there to help him this time. He had no idea where else to go or what to do, and even if he thought of going back home to his mother who was probably worried sick about him now, he hadn't a clue of how to return.

The raven held back a sob, reaching into his backpack to search for the one thing he knew would at least cheer him up a little...but stiffened when he realised the latter was not there.

"Aithusa," Merlin whispered anxiously, digging frantically into his bag—until he remembered the last time he'd had the dragon plush with him in his possession.

Immediately, he ran for the local park.

~o~

The blonde's face grew sombre as he turned away from the window, only to see his mother enter the crowded room with the wireless phone in her hand.

"Arthur," Ygraine spoke in a soft voice, stepping carefully into the sea of children. "Arthur, honey, it's Gwen. I think she wants to speak to you."

In that instant, her son nodded once, moving past his other friends to grab the phone from his mother's hand and step outside into the hallway.

"Guinevere," he spoke evenly, clearing his throat.

But on the other line, the brunette's voice was distraught and full of apprehension. "_Arthur, _you've got to help."

Immediately, the Pendragon's eyes became intent. "Guinevere, what's wrong?" he asked in a troubled tone.

There was a sob, then a sniffle in response. "Arthur...it's—it's _Merlin. _ His mum came over here all worried sick. Turns out he...ran away from home."

At that moment, Arthur's face grew rigid, and he almost dropped the phone.

"Where did he go?"

~o~

When Merlin made it back to the park, he searched aimlessly for his stuffed companion—on the bench where he was last seated and even behind the trees

But unfortunately, Aithusa was nowhere to be found.

The raven let out a sharp exhale, eyes darting worriedly for his little friend.

That was when he heard a low chuckle from behind, and turned around to see Cenred and his gang standing a few feet away from him, the tall, brown-haired brute clutching the small white dragon in his hands.

"Looking for this?" Cenred taunted, raising the plush toy up in the air over Merlin's head.

The young raven only sniffled, reaching desperately for his treasured toy. "Give him back, Cenred," he pleaded, in a soft voice. "Please...I'm begging you. He hasn't done anything wrong."

But before long, one of the older boys had shoved him to the ground and looked down at him with malevolent expressions on their faces.

Cenred chuckled darkly. "And _you? _You should have thought twice before sticking up for your good-for-nothing friend," he drawled, stuffing Aithusa in his pocket and kicking Merlin _hard _in the stomach.

The raven let out a cry of pain, writhing on the blacktop.

~o~

"Merlin!"

Arthur sprinted out into the rain, searching frantically for his best friend.

"Merlin, where are you?" he cried anxiously.

No answer.

The blonde took a deep breath and exhaled sharply, running instantly to the one other place he knew the raven would go besides the Pendragon home. But by the time he had reached the front entrance of the local park, his attention was caught immediately when he saw Cenred and his goons goofing off just outside the gate, throwing around something that seemed _oddly _familiar to him that very instant:

A small white dragon plush toy who he'd only known by Merlin's past words to be named...

Aithusa.

Quickly, the young Pendragon rushed over to where they were standing, facing the schoolyard bully with vicious eyes.

"Cenred," he spat out bitterly, sharpening his glare on the tall brunette. "Where's Merlin?"

At that moment, Cenred laughed raucously, rolling his eyes at the shorter blonde. "Why on _earth _should I tell you?" he chuckled, stuffing the plush into his pocket again. He narrowed his eyes. "After all, he got what he deserved...for _your _sake."

The rest of the boys jeered and gibed at Arthur.

But the Pendragon would not have _any _of it this time. At that point, he no longer cared how dreadfully outnumbered he had been, for out of instinct and concern of his one and only best friend, he clenched his fists tightly and tackled Cenred head-on with all of his might, avoiding and completely avoiding the rest of his gang who'd immediately tried assailing him from behind.

~o~

Meanwhile, Merlin was lying face-down in the tall grass among the trees, not having any idea where he was at that point. All he knew was that he was alone, and every part of his body hurt so much.

Slowly, he struggled on his hands and knees, searching hopelessly for help—for someone who could get him out of the pouring rain.

But after a few seconds, he suddenly felt a sharp jolt inside his beating heart and inhaled sharply, and soon enough, he found himself on the ground again, weak and unable to move.

~o~

Arthur let out a cry in frustration, giving Cenred a final kick in the stomach, then sprinted off into the park with Aithusa in hand.

"Merlin!" he shouted again, looking aimlessly for his beloved friend. But there was still heard nothing of the young raven, and so the blonde continued to run—up to the point where he dashed past the taller trees of the wood he'd taken him to the other day which now seemed almost an eternity ago.

...and it wasn't long before he'd found a crumpled Merlin lying face-down in the grass, motionless in the lower part of the big hill overlooking the vast cityscape.

~o~

_That was it, _the young raven thought crestfallenly to himself, feeling his heartbeat become fainter and fainter as the seconds passed. They would find him out here in the middle of the wood, wondering what such a small, _stupid _boy was doing so far away from home without his parents.

At that point, he could hear his mother crying bitterly for him...and Arthur—Arthur would be terribly heartbroken.

But in a few days, he would still probably be better off—playing with a new best friend better than he was. Perhaps this time, it would be a girl, and he would forget all about him so he wouldn't feel any more pain...

Merlin closed his eyes and let hot tears roll down his cheeks as images of the blonde began to flood the dark corners his mind.

But suddenly, he held his breath as soon as he'd felt a warm hand on his shoulder and heard a soft, familiar voice.

"_Merlin._"

~o~

After a moment, the raven looked up to see Arthur looking down at him with pained eyes, and judging from the other's expression, he _knew_ that the blonde fully understood what was going on. The young Pendragon carefully took him into his arms at that point, kissing his forehead and holding him gingerly as they made their way up the big hill and settled under one of the tall trees.

By that time, it had finally stopped raining, and the sun was about to finally sink into the horizon.

Merlin could see clearly that his best friend was trying very hard not to cry. He softened his gaze and gave the other's hand a gentle squeeze. "Arthur," he uttered faintly.

The blonde took a deep breath, holding him close to his chest. "Shh...don't speak," he managed to murmur, just above a hushed whisper.

But the raven only closed his eyes and let out a small sigh. "How did you find me?" he asked in a small, ragged tone.

At this, Arthur swallowed hard and stared straight into his dull ocean blue irises. "Gwen called," he replied hoarsely. "She told me everything that happened." He stopped for a moment, exhaling unevenly. "Your mum's awfully worried about you...you know?" he spoke, his countenance going tense as his voice began to falter. "And then I found Cenred with..."

"Aithusa," Merlin whispered, immediately spotting the small white dragon under the blonde's arm and affectionately patting the plush toy's head. He smiled weakly. "You shouldn't have gone to look for me," he answered softly. "Now _your _mum's probably worried about you, too."

Arthur sniffed, sucking another gulp of air. "At least she _saw _me leave, you..."

A tear rolled down Merlin's cheek. "Happy Birthday, Arthur."

At that moment, the young Pendragon's eyes widened, and tears began to well up under his eyes. "Merlin..."

The raven chuckled weakly, coughing a little as he spoke. "I'm sorry...that I took so much time away from you...from having your own normal life with better friends..."

Arthur let out a sharp exhale and pulled the latter closer to him. "Don't say that," he spoke in a clear tone. "You know you'll always be _my _best friend...no matter what happens."

At this, Merlin's expression lit up at just the slightest. "You're _too _good of a person, you know that? Even if you _are _a prat sometimes."

Arthur laughed half-heartedly, feeling a lump begin to form in the middle of his throat.

Merlin lowered his gaze, delicately intertwining his small fingers with his best friend's. "I don't regret...any of the moments...you chose to spend with me," he whispered, blinking back his own tears. "Till there was you...I—"

The blonde sniffled, giving the raven's hand a gentle squeeze.

Merlin swallowed and looked up into Arthur's pained eyes. "I'm glad I finally met someone," he sighed, "who'd accepted me right from the very start."

The lump in Arthur's throat started to swell as he looked into Merlin's eyes. "Merlin...don't..." he started to speak, his voice faltering at that point.

But at that point, he could only watch his best friend as he smiled his trademark grin, for what now would be the very last time...

"Thank you for being my friend..." Merlin murmured, sapphire irises glimmering under the faint light. "I love you."

At that moment, tears fell down Arthur's cheeks as he pressed his forehead against his best friend's and sniffled. "I love you, too, Merlin...so much..." he sobbed quietly, pained as he gradually felt the other's warmth eventually begin to fade away.

In response, Merlin chuckled softly, gazing dreamily at the young Pendragon one last time before finally letting his eyes slowly close shut.

After a while, the blonde's breath abruptly stilled. "Merlin?" he whispered in a hoarse tone before lifting his head up to shift his eyes towards his best friend's peaceful expression.

No response.

Arthur let out a choked sob, cradling Merlin's head against his chest. Then he looked out at the colourful cityscape below them which was now dazzled with its numerous bright lights. By this time, night had finally fallen, and soon beautiful fireworks could be heard exploding up in the sky for all to see.

The young Pendragon swallowed hard and closed his eyes as he took a deep, ragged breath.

~o~

On Monday afternoon, two days since the funeral, Arthur stopped by the Emrys home after school to find Merlin's mother sitting outside on the front steps with boxes of things surrounding her feet.

She'd had a handkerchief in her hand and quickly wiped her eyes when she saw the young blonde approaching her from afar.

Arthur looked at her with a meaningful countenance and respectfully bowed once. "Mrs. Emrys."

Hunith nodded back and sniffled, putting the handkerchief in her pocket. "Arthur. What brings you here?" she asked in a cordial tone.

At this, the young Pendragon reached into his backpack and took out his best friend's white dragon plush, handing it to her.

Mrs. Emrys eyed the little treasure with sad eyes and shifted her gaze back to Arthur as he spoke in a hushed, sympathetic voice.

"It's not your fault he ran away...Merlin said he loved you very much," he began, looking straight into her pained, chocolate-brown irises. "He even told me how he knew you'd be worried and how bad he'd felt about leaving home..."

Hunith took a deep breath, lowering her eyes. "He just couldn't stand to be apart from you," she replied softly. "I was so wrong to think that taking him away from this land would be best for him...no doctor could have given him as much as you have in your heart, Arthur Pendragon."

Arthur paused, watching her as she stood up from her seat and cleared her throat. "I'm sure that Merlin mentioned to you that he had a brother," Mrs. Emrys spoke sadly.

The blonde solemnly nodded once.

She blinked back a couple of tears, then went on. "Another one I couldn't save...a very long time ago..." She gazed at him with meaningful eyes. "But they were both immensely close to each other when Merlin was still tiny. I am sure Merlin might have thought about him when he decided to make the choice of running away from home just as he did...but he was still able to live a very different life."

The blonde's eyes softened, wincing as he noticed the pain in Hunith's eyes as she spoke. "How so?" he'd managed to murmur.

Mrs. Emrys sniffled and cleared her throat, smiling at the young Pendragon. "He always had you to turn to—a hand to hold when he needed it." She sighed, taking her handkerchief back out and wiping her eyes. "For Cathal, it had all been too late."

Arthur thought for a moment, frowning as he'd remembered just how hurt Merlin had been in speaking about his older brother.

But then Hunith bent down, softly putting a hand on the young Pendragon's shoulder. "You're a good friend, Arthur," she whispered, expression warm and meaningful. "Don't ever change." She let out a small sigh, then stood up, silently making her way back inside the house and shutting the door behind her.

The blonde stood there for an instant, thinking of the heavy burden she now dealt with at that point—having to lose both her husband and her children without getting to say goodbye to either of them beforehand. Images of Merlin soon began to flood his mind, and he tried very hard to hold back his tears. Then he looked up at the sky, seeing that the sun was about to set.

~o~

Later on that afternoon, Arthur stood solemnly in front of his best friend's grave and stared longingly at the inscription, remembering all the joyful evenings they'd always spent together at the duck pond up until that final moment where they'd held one another in each other's arms...

"_Thank you for being my friend...I love you."_

The young Pendragon let out a sob, watching the sun go down from afar, and looked up at the great tree that guarded Merlin's resting place.

A slight breeze of wind blew by, and slowly, a bright orange leaf from the branch that was just within the corner of Arthur's vision sank gracefully, landing on the very top of Aithusa's little head.

At that moment, the blonde looked down at the small dragon in his hands, feeling the hot tears roll down both of his cheeks. Then he exhaled sharply and closed his eyes as he put the young raven's beloved treasure in front of the white camellias Gwen had put out for him.

Arthur took a deep breath and finally brought himself to turn to leave, even though for a brief instant he still felt his heart being tugged back towards the direction of his one and only best friend.

~o~

That night, the young Pendragon had cried himself to sleep for the fourth time, but not without his mother coming in occasionally to sit beside him and comfort him as much as her son had needed it.

Eventually, Arthur had fallen into a deep sleep, sombrely finding his world empty as he looked around in his dream and only found oblivion everywhere he turned.

But that was not until a bright light suddenly swam out from beneath the darkness and illuminated the blonde's surroundings with its dazzling radiance.

It was not long before Arthur felt a warm hand touch his shoulder and immediately looked to see _familiar_, shimmering sapphire eyes staring back into his.

In that instant, the young Pendragon froze, his mouth gaping as he gazed at the little raven that was now standing shyly before him.

"Merlin?" he gasped, instinctively placing his palm over the latter's on his left shoulder.

At that moment, Merlin lowered his eyes and smiled at his best friend. "I missed you already," he replied softly, raising his head to smile timidly at the blonde.

Arthur exhaled slowly, taking both of the younger boy's hands into his, and winced. "So have I," he managed to speak, voice faltering. Then he swallowed. "But how did you—"

The young raven paused for a minute, staring longingly at the blonde. "They decided to let me have a bit more time...to say goodbye to you," he murmured with a small smile.

In response, the Pendragon's heart sank, and immediately he stepped forward to wrap his arms warmly around his friend in an earnest embrace as if he would disappear any moment.

Merlin placed his hands over Arthur's upper back in return and sighed into the other's shoulder. "Don't forget me, all right?" he spoke in a hushed voice, closing his eyes. "Promise you won't."

At this, the blonde exhaled slowly, responding in a calm tone. "Of course," he breathed, resting his chin on the latter's head. He swallowed hard, then shifted his gaze down, only to find a tear fall down the angel's face.

In that instant, Arthur lifted his hand slightly to wipe Merlin's cheek and gazed tenderly into smouldering cerulean irises. "Hey...don't cry. _I'm_ the one who has to see you leave."

The raven chuckled softly. "Prat," he whispered under his breath.

But the Pendragon smiled brightly, not taking his eyes off his best friend once, and softened his expression.

"Goodbyes aren't forever, Merlin. They're just...well, another way of saying 'see you later.' Can you see it like that instead?"

Merlin grinned at the blonde, lowering his gaze to their fingers, which had once again somehow interwoven themselves with each other. Then he began to speak in a heart-warming voice.

"Do you know that place...between sleep and awake? That place where you still remember dreaming?"

At that moment, Arthur quickly held his breath and frowned sadly. "Do you mean this place...where we are right now?" he murmured.

The raven pursed his lips and nodded slowly, staring affectionately into his best friend's eyes. "That's where I'll always love you," he spoke softly to the blonde, gently squeezing his hand with a small smile. "That's where...I'll be waiting."

In that instant, Merlin's fingers started to fade from the blonde's palm, and Arthur watched as his friend slowly disappeared into the bright light.

"Goodbye, Arthur."

~o~

The young Pendragon drowsily opened his eyes, only to find himself back in his room—the first rays of morning sunshine leaking the blinds of the window next to him.

He blinked twice and let out a big yawn, sitting up in his bed to rub his eyes before peering through the clear glass just in time to see all the birds outside begin to take flight in the sapphire sky.

At that moment, Arthur's eyes softened, and he slowly got out of bed to get a closer look.

But that was when he suddenly heard his younger sister call to him from downstairs.

"Arthur, come quick!" Morgana cried.

Immediately, the blonde turned away from the windowsill and put on his slippers before going downstairs to see the young brunette standing out on the front porch with something familiarly small and lively in her palms.

When he approached Morgana to stand beside her, he noticed from a glance that it was the little bird that he and his best friend had gone so far to take care of from the preceding weeks. Because it had now been strong enough to flap its left wing, Morgana had carefully removed the cloth earlier that morning, setting it aside on the kitchen counter.

As she heard his footsteps as he came down the stairs, she turned to look up at her older brother with an eager expression.

"I think it wants to go free with its friends!" she giggled.

At that moment, Arthur watched the tiny creature wriggle around in his sister's hands, then shifted his gaze forward to see another identical bird perched still a few feet away from where they were standing.

"That one's been staring at me for some time now," Morgana murmured thoughtfully, turning to look at her older brother inquisitively. "Arthur, why is this bird staying here when it knows it can fly anywhere on the earth like the rest of them up there?" she asked, gazing up at the morning sky.

In an instant, the young blonde held his breath as he remembered the raven's words to him from before.

_"...I always wonder why birds choose to stay in the same place when they can fly anywhere on the earth. Then I ask myself the same question."_

Arthur let out a slow exhale, shifting his gaze from Morgana to the two little birds before them, and chuckled softly.

"It's because that bird has something here that it wouldn't find anywhere else," he replied, smiling at his younger sister.

At that, the brunette's eyes became filled with confusion. "What's that?"

The older Pendragon calmly put his hand over Morgana's wrist, encouraging her to let the creature free, and both siblings watched with awed expressions as the two birds reunited, taking flight together in the vast sky to go off in another direction from the rest of the group.

Arthur let out a small sigh, thinking warmly of his best friend as the couple flew off into the morning light.

~o~

**Music on My Mind~ **Safe and Sound by Taylor Swift

**Notes from the KIT-chan~**

_Reviews please? ^w^_

*blows nose* Dear God, writing that last half nearly killed me. If I made you cry, I'm ENTIRELY sorry, but I _did_ put some hints in my warnings up above... ^^";

And yes, I quoted Tinker Bell in that final scene with Merlin and Arthur because it fit perfectly with what was going on... TT~TT

Lily, Yasmin—hope you guys enjoyed the read anyway. XD

.::.*~Kit Shadow~*.::.


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